Category: Gone But Not Forgotten

“In Central Texas, Barbecue is more than a way to cook meat – it’s a way of life, a path to salvation, and a sure-fire way to start an argument at the dinner table.”~Central Texas Barbecue

Texans hold certain truths to be self-evident: everything is bigger (and better) in Texas, the Dallas Cowboys are America’s team (who can argue with that?), George Strait is the king of country music, Nolan Ryan was the greatest baseball pitcher who ever lived and the best barbecue in the universe is pit-smoked along the Central Texas Barbecue Belt. Although Texas may be “like a whole other country,” the rolling plains of Central Texas are like a whole other world when it comes to barbecue.

That’s not to say pit masters at Texas’s three other barbecue regions–East Texas, South Texas and West Texas–don’t prepare great barbecue or that they don’t regard barbecue as practically a religion. In fact, pit masters from each Texas barbecue region will defend the honor and bragging rights of their respective regions with the same vigor shown in 1836 by a small group of volunteer soldiers at The Alamo.

Low-and-Slow Smoke Magic Emanates From Two Grills

While conceding that there is great barbecue to be found throughout the Lone Star state, purists and aficionados almost unanimously agree that the state’s best barbecue is to be found in Central Texas with Austin as the region’s epicenter and pockets of barbecue excellence nonpareil found in such small towns as Lexington, Lockhart, Driftwood and Taylor. Historically, it makes sense. The Central Texas region was settled in the 19th century by German, Polish and Czech immigrants carrying forward their old country traditions for making sausage and smoking meats.

Central Texas barbecue has a number of distinguishing hallmarks. First and foremost, beef is king. That means moist, smoky brisket. Secondly, barbecue means spice and seasoning rubs (heavy on salt and pepper), not sauces. Some of the best bastions of barbecue serve their meats naked–no sauce. Others will give you sauce on the side if you request it. If you’ve got to have it, sauce is typically tomato-based complemented by vinegar and Worcestershire. Thirdly, barbecue means low and slow cooking over Texas post oak wood or pecan woods, both of which impart mild smokiness. For best results, the wood is “cured” for nine to twelve months which creates very little soot when it burns.

The comfy-cozy interior

June, 2014, saw the launch in Albuquerque of a new barbecue joint brandishing the name “Marley’s Central Texas Barbecue.” Located on the northeast corner of Montgomery and San Pedro (at the former home of the beloved Tickles & Snooks Wings & Things), Marley’s seemed primed for longevity at that location. Just over two years later, however, Marley’s moved to the North Fourth street location which previously housed Paddy Rawal’s OM. Accompanying the change of venue was a bit of a name change. No longer does the marquee boast of its “Central Texas BBQ” heritage. Now it’s just “Marley’s Barbecue” though the menu remains the same.

Restaurant employees still sport shirts emblazoned with the slogan “we smoke the good stuff.” For the most part, the “good stuff” still comes from the Lone Star state. The restaurant’s Black Angus beef is sourced from trusted Texas suppliers and sausage comes from Elgin, the self-proclaimed “Sausage Capital of Texas.” The twin Heartlandsmokers which send smoky invitations to passing motorists come from Missouri, another barbecue-crazed state. You’ll pass by them on your way into the restaurant. The aromas are a preview of deliciousness to come.

Sliced Brisket and Elgin Sausage with Bacon Potato Salad and Coleslaw

Conspicuous by its absence is the Texas state flag used to accent the restaurant’s decor at its inaugural location. Other Texas accents remain include looped lassos and cowboy accoutrements on the walls as well as other stereotypical trappings (such as corrugated steel panels on the wall). One of my favorite Texas accents is Big Red soda which, not coincidentally, is bottled in Austin. I believe it’s a Texas state law that Big Red should be served with barbecue.

The menu is relatively small. Meats–sliced brisket, chopped brisket, Elgin sausage (regular or “hot”), pork spare ribs and pulled pork–are available by the half-pound. Sandwiches and plates are also available. Sides include Texas pinto beans, coleslaw, fresh-cut fries, mac and cheese and bacon potato salad. Your best bet is a combination plate, your choice of any two meats served with two sides. Plates include sweet Vidalia onions, pickles and slices of white bread (often considered a veggie in barbecue circles).

Pork Spare Ribs and Elgin Sausage with Beans and Bacon Potato Salad

3 August 2014: The sliced brisketis moist and tender with a faint smokiness, a very pronounced smoke ring and a good amount of marbling around the edges (off-putting to some, absolutely necessary for others). It doesn’t have the thick, peppery crust characteristic of some legendary Central Texas barbecue establishments, but for taste, tenderness and appearance, it’s a very good brisket. Procured from the world-famous Southside Market in Elgin, Texas, both the regular and “hot” Elgin sausage live up to their reputation. They’re succulent, smoky and delicious with a natural casing that’s easy to bite through, but not cut with the plastic utensils provided.

28 August 2014: There’s yet another way to enjoy brisket at Marley’s and that’s in the form of a chopped brisket sandwich. When the menu reads “chopped” it’s not “chopped” as in the Carolina style “hack” job done to pork. In this case, the brisket is cut into very small cubes. If anything, the brisket seems even more tender prepared in this fashion and a caramelization not as apparent on sliced brisket is readily discernible with the chopped brisket. This sandwich is served with onions and pickles.

Chopped Brisket Sandwich with Coleslaw

28 August 2014: No longer on the menu, but perhaps they should be considering the recent taco craze, is brisket tacos. An order of brisket tacos yields three beauteous tacos made on housemade corn tortillas. The tacos are engorged with chopped brisket and a pico de gallo. The corn tortillas are quite good and are formidable enough to hold up against the moistness and volume of the brisket and pico. The brisket is moist, tender and smoky. Alas, the pico de gallo (tomatoes and green peppers) is rather insipid, lacking any heat. Fortunately the barbecue sauce has just a tad of heat to lend.

3 August 2014: Although beef may be king in Texas, Marley’s pork spare ribs are no jesters. While the menu describes them as “fall-off-the-bone tender,” they have just a bit of “give” on them as you pull them off the bone. That’s the way it should be. Far too often, fall-off-the-bone denotes overdone. The ribs are tender and juicy with the spice and seasonings rub more pronounced (you’ll discern a bit more sweetness) than on the other meats. None of the meats needed sauce to make them palatable, but Marley’s sauce is good for dipping bread into. It’s sweet, vinegary and has a pleasing bite.

BBQ Nachos

3 August 2014: Sides are no afterthought. The bacon potato salad, made with in-house cured bacon and a spice blend with personality, is very different from most potato salad served in New Mexico which tends to have a surfeit of mayo or salad cream. Shawne Riley, a long-time friend of this blog, called the potato salad the “closest to my Texas grandmother’s I’ve ever had.” We agreed the coleslaw was wonderful. Even with New Mexico green chile, the pinto beans have the flavor of Texas beans with sundry spices which detract from the natural flavors of the Land of Enchantment’s “other” official state vegetables (pinto beans and chile).

3 August 2014: As a proud native New Mexican well acquainted and enamored with our state’s fantastic pecan crop, try as I might it was difficult to remain impartial about our pecans, especially when a Texas city has the audacity to declare itself “the pecan capitol of the world.” Alas, the pecan piewas rich, decadent and absolutely mouth-watering. Nary a disparaging word can be said about it even though it wasn’t made with New Mexican pecans. During a visit in August, 2017, my server informed me that pecan pie is no longer on the menu. Instead, Marley’s now offers a strawberry-rhubarb pie (get it a la mode) which, while quite good–and quite Texan–didn’t please me as much as the pecan pie did.

The oak which generates inviting aromas

23 August 2017: BBQ Nachos are the sole appetizer on the menu though a heaping portion is enough to constitute a meal. Available with your choice of pulled pork or chopped brisket, the nachos are served atop a bed of tortilla chips covered with nacho cheese, jalapenos and the house barbecue sauce. The chopped brisket is redolent with the fragrant aroma of oak and there’s plenty of it. We found the sauce a bit on the sweet side with tangy notes that couldn’t quite tame the sweetness. That’s probably why my Kim competed with me for the jalapenos–and she normally wouldn’t touch jalapenos with the proverbial ten-foot-pole.

Marley’s may not be the next best thing to eating at a barbecue restaurant in the Texas Hill Country of Central Texas, but in some ways it’s got those Lone Star bastions of bodacious barbecue beat. Within the air conditioned confines of Marley’s, we were especially grateful not to be waiting in line for two hours for one of Austin’s famous pilgrimage barbecue restaurants to open even as oppressive humidity sapped our energy and mosquitoes the size of helicopters consumed us as eagerly as we would the barbecue.

Back in the 1960s, A&W’s Papa Burger was a rite of passage for me. By age nine, I had surmounted the phased progression through A&Ws burger family–Baby Burger, Mama Burger and Teen Burger–and was ready to prove my mettle with the largest of A&Ws burger family, one beefy behemoth only my dad, a paragon of masculinity, had ever ordered. Earning the right to order one was acknowledgement that I was growing into a man. Polishing one off brought newfound respect from my younger brothers, both of whom longed for the day my dad would order a Papa Burger for them.

In the 1960s, A&W’s burger family signified a formidable line-up of burgers served in more than 2,000 A&W restaurants throughout the fruited plain and Canada. Each member of the burger family was represented by cartoonish fiberglass statues, the largest of which was the Papa Burger, a bald, vested gentleman holding a large frosted mug on one hand and a gigantic burger on the other. Papa Burger stood eight and a half feet tall and the frothy mug of root beer was three feet tall.

Bright and colorful interior at Papaburgers

Driving on Chavez Avenue just west of Fourth Street and espying a restaurant called Papaburgers brought a nostalgic pang to my heart. That nostalgia made me hopeful that A&W was preparing to mount a challenge to the Big Three (McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King) and would no longer be relegated to sharing space with abhorrent chains. Though I disdain chains, A&W still represents growing up to me. The name on the marquee dashed those hopes quickly. It read “Papaburgers” not Papa Burgers. No, this was an A&W offshoot.

Papaburgers has its roots in El Paso, Texas where in 2008, entrepreneur Eric Zubia launched the first instantiation of what has become one of the Sun City’s most popular burger joints. As of this writing, ninety percent of visitors to El Paso’s Zomato Papaburgers page indicate they like it with some being effusive in their praise. Sadly, as of this writing, I’d venture to say fifty percent of Albuquerque diners still have no idea about this terrific burger restaurant (unless they read Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog), of course.

That’s not entirely their fault. Albuquerque’s Papaburgers, open only since November, 2009 is ensconced in a nondescript shopping center where it’s barely visible from heavily trafficked Fourth Street. Get the word out! This is a very good burger joint, one that is rapidly becoming an Albuquerque favorite. In El Paso, customers queue early and often to get their burger fix in a restaurant with limited seating. In Albuquerque, you can still walk up to the counter, place your order and sit where you want.

Finding a seat is no problem in the Los Ranchos Papaburgers, a sprawling corner edifice which doubled its space within two years of opening to accommodate all the diners who discovered this unique bastion of burgers. In three years, the ambiance has gone from prosaic to rather busy with a lot to see everywhere you turn. The menu is sparse, about a dozen items, but there are always specials on the board. A jukebox and an old-fashioned video gaming console make the expanded dining room just a bit noisy at times.

When Eric Zubia mentioned possibly expanding into the Albuquerque area, his Rio Rancho-based uncle Silver and aunt Adriana Zubia leapt at the opportunity. As with the original Papaburgers, the freshness of ingredients is a strong point of emphasis. Each burger is made to order on a flattop grill from freshly ground beef in which finely chopped onions are integrated right into the meat. The burgers are adorned with lettuce, tomato, pickles, more onions and your choice of mustard or mayo. The restaurant’s eponymous Papaburger can be topped with American or Swiss cheese.

Your table haul should also includes plenty of green chile sauce which you can add to your burgers, fries, hot dogs or onion rings. The green chile is mild by any piquancy scale, but it’s got a garlicky kick potent enough to ward off a family of vampires. Papaburgers’ version of a green chile cheeseburger is called the Chiara Burger (named for Eric Zubia’s goddaughter). Instead of finely chopped chile, the burger is crafted with long green chile. It’s lacking in the piquancy New Mexicans love.

Frito Pie

During our inaugural visit back in 2009, my friend and frequent dining companion Bill Resnik took one bite of the Papacheeseburger and declared “it’s just like Lotaburger.” Considering his devotion for Lotaburger (which he considers New Mexican comfort food), that’s a high compliment. As with Lotaburger, the ingredients are extremely fresh–crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, lip-puckering pickles, eye-watering onions. The biggest difference is the onions incorporated right into the beef. Bill’s sole complaint is that the beef was slightly overdone, sometimes a problem with thin beef patties.

17 July 2017: You can request double meat with any burger or you can try something entirely different–the Andre Burger (named for Eric Zunia’s godson). Hamburger meets hot dog in this unique offering–fresh ground beef with onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, chili, weenies, American cheese and mustard. As if weenies isn’t unique enough, the chili also includes beans. It’s not a burger for everyone, but if you have a penchant for the slightly different, this is a burger you will absolutely love.

Jalapeño Fries

You’ll love it as a composite of terrific ingredients and you’ll love the interplay among those ingredients. The chili is mild, but has a nice garlicky flavor that almost completely obfuscates the hint of cumin. The weenies are of the thin-sliced variety, not those flavorless two-inch in circumference meat tubes that seem to be in fashion today. I liked them so much, my second visit order was a Papadog. Papadogs are described as a “round hot dog” and are served on hamburger buns. The buns are toasted and sandwich between them, weenies sliced in half then topped with pinto beans and chili with ground beef. A smear of mustard and several sliced pickles adorn the bottom bun. Though somewhat unconventional, this is a good hot dog that warrants return visits.

Papaburgers is no one-trick pony. The menu, though limited, also includes a grilled chicken sandwich basket, chicken nuggets and a grilled Papacheese Green Chile sandwich. Sides include French fries, onion rings and chili cheese fries. The fries and onion rings are out of a bag, but are quite good when doused in the green chili on each table. Perhaps the most intimidating item on the menu is an all-beef Chili Cheese Foot Long Coney from Nathan’s. Bob of the Village People who’s consumed over 550 feet of hot dog from The Dog House Drive In won’t have to consume quite as many to get to 550 feet. It’s a beefy behemoth.

More Than A Foot Long of Nathan’s Hot Dog

Papaburgers may have nothing to do with the A&W of my youth, but it’s a rite of passage in its own way–as Food Network star Guy Fieri might say, “a passage to flavortown.” These are seriously good burgers!

Jethro Bodine, the country bumpkin with diverse career aspirations (brain surgeon, street car conductor, ‘double-naught’ spy, Hollywood producer, soda jerk, and bookkeeper) on the Beverly Hillbillies television comedy graduated highest in his class by a whole foot or more. You couldn’t get much past the sixth grade educated “six-foot stomach.” When a math teacher posited the theory of π r2 (pi r squared), Jethro wasn’t fooled: “Uncle Jed, them teachers is tryin’ to tell us that pie are square. Shoot, everybody knows that pie are round, cornbread are square.”

Jethro isn’t the only educated person to find pi irrational. The first to do so was Swiss polymath Johann Heinrich Lambert who proved that the number π (pi) is irrational: that is, it cannot be expressed as a fraction a/b, where a is an integer and b is a non-zero integer. It’s quite possible that the only people who understand that sentence are my friends Larry McGoldrick, the professor with the perspicacious palate and Bill Resnik, a New Mexico Institute of Technology-trained mathematician. For me, all math beyond statistics is irrational; it makes absolutely no sense.

Hickory Burns Hot and Fragrant

I did know enough to grin like the proverbial cat who ate the canary when apprised of a food truck named Irrational Pie. It’s apparent owner Josh Rood-Ojalvo is not only a pretty bright guy, but that he’s got a pretty good sense of humor. Eight out of ten (my proficiency at statistics on display here) probably couldn’t tell you what the name “Irrational Pie” means…not that pizza aficionados should even care. Ten out of ten pizza paramours will love the pizzas proffered at this playfully named purveyor of pies. That’s pie, not pi.

Since it launched in January, 2014, you can find Irrational Pie parked at some of your favorite breweries and at such events as Tasty Tuesdays, a fun, food and frolic fest that brings people together out-of-doors. You can’t miss this food truck whose “mascot” is a neon-green moose whose antlers frame the truck’s name. This is a truck which announces its presence well in advance of when you actually see it. The aroma of hickory burning is akin to a siren’s call beckoning sailors. That aroma may remind you of the campfires of your childhood. Irrational Pie burns hickory not only because of its olfactory properties, but because it burns hot which means you won’t wait long for your pie.

Irrational Pie Menu

You can’t miss the oven in which that fragrant hickory burns so brightly. It’s a 3000-pound brick-based behemoth made in Italy and it occupies the back-end of the truck’s interior. The enticing smoky aroma emanating from that oven will waft over you, perhaps triggering involuntary salivation. As you queue up, you’ll have the opportunity to peruse the menu scrawled on a slate board. There are only a handful of pies listed, but you can also customize your pie with the toppings of your choice. You won’t have to wait long before you made-to-order pie is delivered to your table.

The dough for each pizza is made from scratch with local, organic ingredients whenever possible. Each pie is a personal-sized ten-inch pizza with the pepperoni-green chile pizza being the best seller. Seasonal specials are available with fresh ingredients specific to the time of year. One ingredient (two if you count green chile) not to be missed is wood-roasted onions. The tomato sauce which graces each pie isn’t your typical thin, runny sauce, but has the texture and flavor of finely crushed and seasoned tomatoes. It does make a difference.

Sausage, Onion and Green Chile Pie

As has become characteristic of thin pizzas prepared at high heat, your pie will have a nice amount of char along the edges (in New Mexico, char is a flavor). The cornicione, an Italian term for the “lip” or puffy outer edge of the pizza is pronounced and uneven, soft and chewy, and best of all, has the flavor and aroma of just baked bread. My introductory pizza, constructed with sausage, wood-roasted onions and green chile (a no-brainer) quickly thwarted my plan to save two or three slices for later. The wood-roasted onions are cut into strips about an inch-long so you can really taste their sweet properties. The green chile has a pleasant piquancy and nice roasted flavor while the sausage is generously applied.

My Kim’s choice was the Margherita (the forerunner of pizza everywhere) to which she added those wood-smoked onions. As with all Margherita pizzas, it’s constructed with mozzarella, basil and smashed tomatoes. Wood-roasted onions should also be requisite though it would no longer be a Margherita. By any name, this is an excellent pie–even without any of my favorite proteins (pepperoni, Canadian bacon, ham, sausage, etc.). It’s so good even my Kim (who’s far more disciplined about saving a couple slices for later) finished the entire pie…though being of clearer mind than her hungry husband, dissuaded me from ordering something from the Salvadoran food truck parked next door. That’s an adventure for later.

Margherita Pizza with Wood-Roasted Onion

Whether you’re of a rational or emotive bent, Irrational Pie is an excellent option. It’s never irrational to enjoy one of the best pizzas in the Duke City.

During a 1996 episode of Seinfeld, George Costanza, a self-proclaimed “short, balding, unattractive man” made the mistake of telling his fiancee he wanted to name his child “Seven” after his idol Mickey Mantle. To George’s chagrin, his fiancee’s cousin liked the idea so much she decided to name her own child Seven. Even as the cousin was being wheeled by an orderly into the delivery room, George tried in vain to convince her to name the child something else. Six, Thirteen, Fourteen, even…Soda. “it’s bubbly, it’s refreshing!,” he cried.

When Chef Akio told us of the birth of his son just a day before our inaugural visit, we had to ask him if he’d be naming his son “Seven.” Obviously understanding the reference, he laughed and told us his son’s name would be Isaiah. The only seven in his family is the uniquely spelled “Kitchen Se7ven” he named his restaurant. If you’re looking for signage to guide you to his restaurant, you won’t find any. Kitchen Se7ven is located within the Kaktus Brewing Company on the western fringes of Nob Hill and eastern extremities of the University of New Mexico…you know, that weird corner bordered by Central to the South, Girard to the west and Monte Vista to the east.

Kitchen Se7ven Dining Room

Kaktus has undergone a significant transformation since our last visit in January, 2016. The make-over added better functional space and a pleasant aesthetic to the space which previously housed Amore Neapolitan Pizzeria and before that Bailey’s on the Beach. Both halves of the 2,400-square-foot space are, in fact, suitable to dining and include a bar you can belly up to. Then there’s an expansive rooftop patio that offers exquisite city views as well as spectacular sunset panoramas.

The best seat in the house is the one closest to Chef Akio who’ll happily answer all your questions about the menu he describes as “San Francisco meets New Mexico.” The Chef relocated from ‘Frisco to the Duke City so that he could help his siblings take care of their elderly parents. Albuquerque’s gain! Chef Akio is a personable gentleman with a great sense of humor. He cares very much that you have a good dining experience and is happy to let you sample the sauces that enliven his culinary fare. His kitchen isn’t much bigger than a child’s time-out corner, but he coaxes amazing flavors out of the imaginative ingredient combinations he employs.

Greek Fries with Green Chile

The menu is relatively limited–chicken sandwiches, burgers, wild game links, salads, wings, fries and nachos, bison and veggie chili (the Texas kind) and pizza. If you visited Kaktus before the menu concept was revamped, you’re already familiar with the inventive pizzas in such original options as red pumpkin-veggie and wild spicy elk. Sandwiches and burgers are served with your choice of house fries, chips and salsa or a side salad. If you opt for fries, insist on Kaktus’s fantastic curry ketchup which improves the flavor of everything with which it comes into contact. You’ll want to take home a bottle (or seven) of this ketchup.

Even if you don’t order a sandwich or burger, the menu includes four different fries options: dragon fries (spicy kimchi, Cheddar cheese, bison chili and secret sauce), truffle Parmesan fries, garlic Parmesan fries and Greek fries (sea salt, feta, oregano, olive oil and vinegar). My friend and frequent dining companion Bill Resnik asked that his Greek fries be topped with green chile, a Greece meets New Mexico idea that works very well. The green chile has a pleasant bite-you-back quality that counterbalances the sharpness of the feta nicely. Even unadorned, the fries would be among the very best in the city. They’re hand-cut and firm with just enough salt.

Rumor Nachos

For the first time in memory (probably ever), my entree was nachos. No, not ballpark nachos with their gloppy cheese and soggy chips. Kitchen Se7ven offers two nacho options: Bison Nachos (bison chili and Cheddar) and Rumor Nachos (green chile, Cheddar cheese, spicy kimchi, grilled chicken, crumbled bacon, a dollop of sour cream and secret sauce). It’s no rumor. The Rumor Nachos are fantastic–some of the very best nachos in this town. What makes these nachos special is the harmonious interplay of so many complementary ingredients. The incendiary green chile and spicy kimchi, for example, counterbalance the secret sauce which brought to mind a combination of spicy mayo and the sweet sauce used in sushi restaurants on unagi (freshwater eel). Similarly, the bacon enlivens the grilled chicken. The chips are fresh, crisp and served warm with a side of salsa on the side.

Kitchen Se7ven is yet another exemplar of a small restaurant offering big flavors. Chef Akio’s San Franciso meets New Mexico concept is unique and not to be missed.

Looking around our table, my friend Ryan “Break the Chain” Scott astutely pointed out the relative scarcity of pizza at our table. Considering the Eclectic Urban Pizzeria and Tap Room may have been the most eagerly awaited pizzeria to open in Albuquerque in years, you’d think a phalanx of foodies would be devouring our weight in pizza…and while three pulchritudinous pies did grace our table, so did such eclectic fare as pho, chicken wings, roasted chicken and Chimichurri skirt steak a la plancha. Despite the term “eclectic” on the pizzeria’s appellation, the menu’s vast diversity actually surprised us.

It’s a testament to his tremendous creativity and talent that Chef Maxime Bouneou can still surprise diners who for nine years reveled in his fabulous Italian creations at Torinos @ Home, the restaurant he founded with his beautiful bride and partner Daniela. Surprises at Torinos were usually of the “I can’t believe how good this is” variety. At Eclectic, surprises fall under the “I can’t believe he can prepare this so well” category, emphasis on “this.” Frankly we shouldn’t have been surprised at the diversity of dishes he prepares so well. Maxime isn’t a great chef who prepares great Italian food. He’s a great chef who can prepare virtually anything!

Daniela and Maxime Bouneou

Maxime’s pedigree as a chef is very impressive though more diners are acutely aware he wowed (absolutely blew away is more like it) Food Network celebrity Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives than know that in his native France, he worked in Michelin two- and three-star restaurants. Maxime’s ability to coax unbelievable deliciousness out of everything he prepares isn’t just a matter of talent. He and Daniela are committed to using the highest quality, locally procured organic ingredients wherever possible. Moreover, he absolutely loves what he does and continually works at improving his craft.

Daniela is the yin to Maxime’s yang. They complete one another with a work and life synergy few couples ever achieve. It’s been that way since they met in Nice, France where she was working as maitre d’ at a four-star hotel and he was the hotel’s promising sous-chef. They were married shortly thereafter and moved to Santa Fe where they launched Torinos @ Home in 2006. While the kitchen has always been Maxime’s domain, Daniela runs the “front of the house” with an incomparable elan. Her buoyant personality makes her the perfect hostess where she shines unlike no other in New Mexico. To say the Bouneous were beloved is an understatement.

An Eclectic Dining Room

In February, 2016, Maxime and Daniela sold Torinos, an event their adoring patrons believed warranted an apron flying at half mast. For months, we all speculated as to where they would land and even if they would remain in New Mexico. Fortunately the Bouneous have fallen in love with the Land of Enchantment and in early April, 2016 announced the forthcoming launch of their next restaurant venture, an undertaking they named “Eclectic. Urban Pizzeria and Tap House.” For months, legions of Facebook friends anxiously awaited the next snippet of news about the Bouneous return. Along with a Web site depicting construction progress, the Facebook page was both a big tease and an appetite-whetting medium.

On Saturday, August 27th at precisely 11AM, Eclectic opened its doors, a “soft opening” in which Daniela and Maxime may have set a one-day record for most hugs dispensed (although Tim Harris might have something to say about that). Guests were as happy to see the Bouneous as they were to sample their culinary fare. By Eclectic’s official September 17th launch date, it’s probably accurate to say many of us fed by the Bouneous for years will already have fallen in love with Eclectic, a restaurant which more than lives up to its name.

Spicy Eclectic Olives Mix

Eclectic Urban Pizzeria and Tap House is located on Menaul, about three blocks east of University. Because there isn’t a direct turn-in to the restaurant from east-bound Menaul, you’ll have to double back if you took the University exit. And because the pizzeria doesn’t have vivid, eye-catching signage and its storefront is a bit recessed from the street, you might miss it if you’re headed west from Carlisle. If you are headed west from Carlisle and you see Twisters, you’ve gone just a bit too far. Though your inaugural effort to find Eclectic might engender increased familiarity with Menaul, you’ll never again pass it by. Nor will you forget it.

Eclectic’s ambiance is industrial, but warm with blonde woods, distressed red bricked walls, hand-scrawled menus on the wall, a corrugated bar and industrial style polished concrete floors. Table legs are made from metal pipes, the type used in plumbing. Menus on clipboards hang from hooks on each table. Large south-facing windows let in sunlight. Seating is more functional than it is comfortable though we’ve lingered long and happily during our first two visits with no ill effect. Even al fresco dining is available thanks to a pet-friendly patio that doubles the pizzeria’s seating capacity. This is just one cool place to be, especially if you’re dining with friends.

Wings Hot and Tangy. Photo courtesy of Kimber Scott

31 August 2016: My friends Bruce “Sr Plata” Silver and Bruce Schor who, because of this blog, enjoyed a kinship without ever having met, accompanied me on our inaugural visit. Walking into the restaurant was like old home week, a reunion of new and old friends. No sooner had we stepped in than we espied the charismatic Ryan Scott, his winsome wife Kimber and their precious angel Judah. Daniela and Maxime greeted us all like long-lost family. That’s pretty much how they treat everyone–and one of the reasons Eclectic will soon become Albuquerque’s favorite pizzeria and watering hole. Well that and the food. Oh, the food…

While a disclaimer cautions that the menu is subject to change without notice, in our experience every item on that menu is an absolute winner, a perfect ten. The first section of the menu is titled “Start With” and it included eight starters, each as appealing as the other. There are ten pizzas on the menu, including a “build your own” option. Save for the Reina Margherita, a vegetarian pizza, and the Quattro Formaggi, the pizzas are unlike any you’ll find in the city. Instead of the de rigueur “meat lovers” pizza for example, you’ll find a Nordik pizza with smoked salmon and capers. There are four items on the “Not A Pizza” section of the menu, entrees truly befitting the term “eclectic.” Those include roasted chicken, fish and chips, Chimichurri skirt steak a la plancha and beer braised short ribs. Three sides are also available as well as four decadent desserts.

Hot “PHO” YOU

31 August 2016: As we perused the menu, we enjoyed a bowl of spicy, eclectic olives (some with pits). Brine-cured green and reddish, the olives are meaty, fresh and rubbed with a pleasantly piquant chile. It’s not often, if ever, the flavor combination of briny and piquant is discussed on this blog, but the combination is surprising (there’s that word again). The piquancy level of the chiles is a degree or two of magnitude more intense than pimentos stuffed into olive centers (as in the olives used on martinis), but without compromising on aroma and flavor. Bruce Schor graciously allowed me to eat the single Thai bird pepper that helped give the olives their piquancy. It was an eye-opener.

31 August 2016: If he’s not Albuquerque’s foremost authority on chicken wings, Ryan is certainly their most prolific “appreciator.” My friend loves chicken wings, but not just any chicken wings. They’ve got to be better than good. When chicken wings earn the Ryan Scott seal of approval, you know they’re imbued with greatness. Ryan loved the “get your hands dirty” sriracha-lime wings at Eclectic. The unlikely combination of intense piquancy coupled with tangy, citrusy lime works surprisingly well with an optimum balance of two strong flavors. These meaty wings are accompanied with a buttermilk ranch dressing so good you’ll want to spoon it out of the ramekin, but it’s wholly unnecessary on the wings.

Big Dips and Dough

31 August 2016: “Don’t tell me Maxime does pho, too?” If that sentiment wasn’t outwardly expressed, it was certainly contemplated. Yes, Maxime does pho and it’s one of Daniela’s favorite items on the starters menu. Listed as Hot “PHO” YOU, it’s a spectacular soup though it could be debated as to whether it is or isn’t pho. Pho is technically a noodle soup and there are no noodles on this piping hot dish nor will you find the distinctive, aromatic essence of star anise, but those are technicalities. Call this “faux pho” if you will, but you’ll also be calling it absolutely delicious. Instead of the swimming pool-sized portion served at Vietnamese restaurants, Eclectic’s version is served in a small bowl with ladle. Maxime’s interpretation of pho is made with generous pieces of chicken, bamboo shoots, cabbage, nuoc mam, garlic and cilantro. It will blow you away!

31 August 2016: My friend Sr. Plata was on the first day of a low-carb diet when he espied big dips and dough on the menu. Needless to say, his low-carb effort was delayed by one day. Served with focaccia bread sticks is a triumvirate of terrific dips: humus, smoked trout and goat cheese, each a magnificent complement to the best focaccia you’ll find in the Duke City. If the notion of “smoked trout” dip channels memories of slick-talking salesman Dan Aykroyd hawking a Bassomatic, you’re probably not alone. Don’t let that notion stop you from enjoying this magnificent dipping sauce. Great as the dips are, the foccacia is fabulous–a precursor to the quality of the pizza crust to be enjoyed later.

Eat Your Brussels Carley (Photo Courtesy of Kimber Scott)

31 August 2016: There are two versions of Brussels sprouts on the menu, one with bacon and one without. Sporting the curious appellation “Eat Your Brussels Carley,” they’re delicious with our without the pork candy. Named America’s “most hated vegetable” in a 2008 survey conducted by Heinz, Brussels sprouts are almost universally reviled. Many diners hate them without ever having tried them (probably because they heard someone else express their disdain for this villainous vegetable). Andy Griffiths even wrote an anti-tribute to Brussels sprouts. Entitled “Just Disgusting!,” its lyrics posit: “Who wouldn’t hate them? They’re green. They’re slimy. They’re moldy. They’re horrible. They’re putrid. They’re foul. Apart from that, I love them.” You’ll certainly love Maxime’s version!

Mac & Cheese Jalapeño

1 November 2016: A Google search for “Ode to Macaroni and Cheese” will fruitfully return results, some of which are inspired and creative. One especially catchy ode was put to music, taking liberties with the Celine Dion song “Because You Loved Me.” I half expected my friend Bill to belt out a chorus or two of that ode. That’s how much he enjoyed Eclectic’s mac & cheese jalapeno dish. Anyone who’s been comforted by the warmth and deliciousness of macaroni and cheese can certainly understand that. Macaroni and cheese has uplifting qualities that make it the most revered of comfort foods…and if ever there was a poster child for how mac and cheese should look and taste, it would be Maxime’s version. Served in a cast iron pan, this turophile’s dream is a medley of cheeses: Fontina, Gorgonzola, Cantal and Mozzarella atop of which sit several sliced jalapenos. A little truffle oil gives it earthy notes your taste buds will appreciate. This dish is decadent enough to satisfy a nostalgic “back to childhood” pang for mac and cheese but it’s also sophisticated enough for grown-ups. What really makes this dish stand out, however, is that it’s both cheesy in a melty, gooey way (but not to the extent of ballpark nachos) and it’s caramelized, especially at the bottom of the pan. Caramelized cheese is so good, it could be used on a caramel apple.

Fish Tacos

1 November 2016: There’s a disclaimer on Eclectic’s Web site which cautions that “menu is subject to change without notice.” You’ll want to visit Eclectic’s Web site daily so you’ll be up-to-speed on what the daily special is. In the past week, daily specials have included such alluring offerings as a green chile cheeseburger, patty melt, oyster po’ boy and the Tuesday special—tacos. Tacos, which come in all shapes, sizes, colors and price points have become as American as apple pie and baseball. At Eclectic, soft, steamed white corn tortillas are engorged with your choice of carne asada, chicken or fish and they’re value-priced so you can afford two or ten of them. Filled generously with planks of tender, fried Pollock and cabbage slaw, these beauties are served with a wedge of lime, a perfect foil for the fish.

Roasted Chicken (Photo Courtesy of Kimber Scott)

31 August 2016: For many gastronomes the very notion of roasted chicken elicits if not an outward yawn, an ennui. Leave it to Maxime to enliven what is often a ho-hum dish. A generously applied pasilla chile and lime rub precedes a deeply penetrating heat roasting in the brick oven. The pasilla imbues the chicken with a unique flavor. Pasilla, the dried form of the chilaca chili pepper, is an aromatic, brownish red chile that smells somewhat like prunes and has a mild, rich and almost sweet taste with just a hint of residual bitterness. It’s increasingly finding favor among bold chefs such as Maxime who are skilled at building concordant flavors with diverse ingredients. The roasted chicken is served with a green mango chutney which complements the chicken very well.

Fish & Chips

1 November 2016: Had King George III’s government attempted to tax fish and chips, it’s conceivable the revolutionary war would have started earlier (presuming that the colonists brought fish and chips across the pond). It’s become increasingly rare in cafes and restaurants across the fruited plain to find a menu that doesn’t offer fish and chips, an indication that Americans, too, love this dish. Most of the time fish and chips at American restaurants are passable…or at least better than what you’ll find at Long John Silver’s. Every once in a while, you find a version of fish and chips so good, you wonder if maybe one of Her Majesty’s culinary staff prepared it. Eclectic’s version is such a dish. Instead of the heavily-breaded, golden-hued planks with a mountain of French fries to which you might be accustomed, what arrives at your table are driftwood-sized logs that are more Dijon-colored than canary gold. That’s because Maxime uses Stout on his batter. Not only does the Stout impart a darker hue, it tempers the strongly flavored Pollock, a lovely whitefish with a flaky texture. Instead of British “chips” (French fries), the fish is served with housemade potato chips, infinitely better than you’ll find at any grocery store.

Oyster Po Boy with Curry Fries

9 December 2016: During the eight years we lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I must have consumed at least one boatload’s worth of po’ boys. What differentiates New Orleans’ most famous sandwich from your run-of-the-mill sub sandwich is its humble origin as a sumptuous sustenance provided to striking streetcar drivers. Because of the abundant local resources of the Gulf Coast and bayous, fried seafood–particularly shrimp and oysters–po’ boys are the most popular option. In New Mexico, it may be easier to find a prize pearl inside an oyster than to find an outstanding oyster po’ boy or sandwich. Leave it to the genius of Maxime Bouneau to construct one that’s every bit as good as the very best you’ll find in New Orleans. Nestled in Maxime’s incomparable soft, chewy, delicious focaccia are a netful of oysters, a single lettuce leaf and a housemade remoulade you’d swear came out of Louisiana. The oyster po’ boy is served with a ramekin of tangy coleslaw which (hmm, wish I’d thought of this sooner) would go well inside the po’ boy. Even better, ask for a side of curry fries, the best you’ll have anywhere.

Green Chile Cheeseburger

15 April 2017: On June 16, 2017, the Albuquerque Isotopes will officially change their names for the day in honor of New Mexico’s sacrosanct green chile cheeseburger. On that day, the Isotopes will become the Albuquerque Green Chile Cheeseburgers and will sport a custom uniform adorned with a special green chile roaster patch on the left sleeve , a New Mexico state flag with a toothpick for a pole on the right sleeve and a black hat with a burger. It promises to be the hottest promotion in the history of the franchise, but it won’t be as hot as a green chile cheeseburger at Eclectic. Maxime doesn’t chop and dice the chile he uses on the burger. He unfurls an entire chile and nestles it atop a molten slice of Pepperjack cheese which blankets a thick beef patty. Lettuce, red onion and tomatoes are served on the side. The chile has a pleasant piquancy with enough heat to get this volcano-eater’s attention. It’s also got a nice roasted flavor that hearkens to mind the aromas of green chile being roasted under our salubrious skies. This is a green chile cheeseburger which goes best with truffle fries. If you’d like additional heat, don’t opt for the standard American mustard. Ask for a dollop or two of the whole grain mustard which has got the kick of horseradish, but won’t take anything away from the great flavor of the green chile cheeseburger.

Corn Grits

15 April 2017: When perusing Eclectic’s menu, it surprised us to find corn grits. Considering Maxime cut his teeth In European restaurants, we would have expected polenta. “Aren’t grits and polenta the same thing?”, you ask. Well, they’re both made from stone-ground cornmeal, but they’re traditionally made from two different types of corn. Southern grits are traditionally made from dent corn while polenta is made from flint corn which has a finer texture. Texturally, grits can come across as somewhat mushy, while polenta tends to be more coarse and toothsome. At any regard, both can be delicious if prepared correctly. Maxime prepares grits as well as most chefs in the Deep South do. Imbued with gorgonzola, a veined Italian blue cheese with a strong, sharp flavor and cream to temper that sharpness, the grits are surprisingly good. They shouldn’t be. Everything Maxime prepares is excellent or better.

Pate and Focaccia

15 April 2017: Maxime’s focaccia bread is the best we’ve ever had! It’s better-than-bakery-quality bread that goes well with virtually anything you can imagine, but is wonderful all by itself. Though we could subsist happily on the big dips and dough, our very favorite starter, the pate & focaccia also beckons. The pork pate, a small, dense brick of ground pork, unctuous pork fat, herbs and spices fashioned into a spreadable mini-loaf is terrific on its own, but elevated in flavor when spread on the focaccia. At under ten dollars, it’s a bargain. The pate and focaccia are served with an eye-watering whole grain mustard that will clear your nasal passages as well as a small ramekin of cornichons, the delightful miniature sour French pickles made with mini gherkin cucumbers, each about two inches in length. The cornichons have an addictive crunch and an acidic bite which balances the richness of the pate.

Build Your Own Pizza: Gorgonzola, Sausage

31 August 2016: Eclectic’s “Build Your Own” pizza offers more options than just about any pizzeria you’ll ever find–and not just the boring “usual suspects” line-up of toppings. The build your own starts with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Cantal (a raw cow’s milk cheese with a pleasant milky aroma and a nutty, buttery flavor that finishes just slightly acidic). It’s the canvas atop which you can build your own masterpiece. Bruce (to avoid confusion with the other Bruce (Sr. Plata), let’s call him Bruce 1.0) added pork sausage and imported Gorgonzola, both excellent choices. The first thing you’ll appreciate about an Eclectic pizza is the aroma which precedes it out of the brick wood-burning oven. The taste and texture deliver on the promises made by the aroma. Waifishly thin, the pizza is imprinted with a pinto pony char and just a slight cornicione, an Italian term for the “lip” or puffy outer edge of the pizza. Both the sausage and imported Gorgonzola are first-rate.

North Shore

31 August 2016: Who says pizza has to be based on tomato sauce? Certainly not Maxime who also offers one based on cilantro-pesto and another based on buttermilk. Yes, buttermilk! Unable to decide from among five tempting options, I asked the more decisive (and infinitely cuter) Kimber to order for me. Her choice, the North Shore (cilantro pesto, roasted chicken, smoked bacon, pineapple, cantal and mozzarella cheese) was outstanding! The cilantro pesto has a real zip that impregnates the wondrous crust thoroughly. As always, the combination of pineapple and bacon proved magical, the two disparate ingredients playing off one another in contrasting harmony. The bacon is thick and smoky, wholly unlike the tiny bacon bits some pizzerias use. The true test of pizza greatness, however, is how it holds up to refrigeration–essentially how good it is for breakfast. The North Shore is just as good cold the next day as it was out-of-the-oven. This is true pizza greatness!

The Nordik Pizza

6 September 2016: “How about dinner. I know a place that serves great Viking food.” Those words, uttered by the immortal Police Squad Lieutenant Frank Drebben gave me pause to reflect on Viking food and whether or not any restaurant in America actually serves it. Not even Google the Infallible (doesn’t that sound like a Viking name?) could find a single Viking restaurant across the fruited plain. If a Viking restaurant did exist, they’d be well advised to copy Maxime’s Nordik Pizza (buttermilk, smoked salmon, capers, red onion, cantal and mozzarella cheese). Only a pizzaioli genius could conceive of such a masterpiece. He hadn’t finished his first slice when my friend Larry McGoldrick, the professor with the perspicacious palate, declared it second only to the Funghi & Tartufo from Piatanzi as his favorite pizza in the world. It is indeed a delicious pie, albeit one not everyone will enjoy. The smoked salmon, in particular, has an intensely smoky, fishy flavor and aroma.

Make Your Own Pizza

6 September 2016: As a self-admitted mad scientist in the kitchen, experimentation with ingredient combinations brings me as much joy as frustration, as many successes as failures. When the ingredient combinations don’t complement one another, it’s “curses, foiled again!” Dazzling Deanell, on-the-other-hand, seems to have a Midas touch. She always seems to know what to order at restaurants and, as we discovered at Eclectic, she knows how to put together a perfect pie. The make your own beauty pictured above includes roasted red peppers, black olives, mushrooms and sausage. Sounds pretty standard, right? Not when the sausage is so magnificently fennel-kissed with notes of pleasant piquancy. Excellent ingredients make for an excellent pizza. Sausage will evermore grace any pizza we order at Eclectic.

Paysanne

6 September 2016: When my Kim espied a pizza named “Paysanne,” she thought the menu’s creator may have misspelled “Paisano”, an Italian term for compatriot. While that might make good sense, the pizza’s actual name really is “Paysanne” and if there’s one term which defines Maxime’s genius it might be this one. Paysanne describes meals prepared simply. Even Maxime’s most complex dishes and most creative combinations aren’t a mishmash of designer ingredients thrown together. Take the namesake “Paysanne” pizza, for example. It’s constructed with buttermilk, smoked bacon, mushroom, red onion, olives, cantal and mozzarella cheese. Simple, right. It’s simply delicious, a flavorful feast for the eyes and taste buds.

Beer Braised Short Ribs

2 September 2016: My father-in-law loved short ribs, maybe even more than Adam did. He would have flipped over the beer braised short ribs at Eclectic. Martha Stewart once declared “there is perhaps no purer beef flavor than that of a short rib.” Ironically, short ribs were once disdained by chefs as “poor man’s food.” Under the right hands, however, this fairly modestly priced cut can be coaxed to rich, unctuous tenderness and complexity thanks to a basic braise. At Eclectic, the short ribs are served sans bone, but somehow they retain the silken richness of bone-in short ribs. Braised in beer, cherries and Pasilla chiles, the ribs are available in three sizes: small, medium and large. The medium is the size of a small roast with huge flavors.

Rhubarb Cobbler

2 September 2016: With only five desserts on the menu, you’d think it would be easy to decide which one to order. Under Maxime’s deft touch, they’re all bound to be great. Bread pudding not being an option made the choice easier for me. With fresh memories of the sumptuous peach cobbler at The County Line Restaurant there could only be one choice. Served in a cast iron pan, the rhubarb cobbler is superb! With a lip-pursing tartness, the rhubarb is counterbalanced by the sweetness of the ice cream and the savoriness of the pie crust.

In its annual Food & Wine issue for 2017, Albuquerque The Magazine awarded Eclectic Urban Pizzeria & Tap House a Hot Plate Award signifying the selection of its Chocolate Chile Shake as one of the “dishes…that’s lighting a fire under the city’s culinary scene.” Considering the thousands of potential selections, to be singled out is quite an honor.

Eclectic Urban Pizzeria may be the new kid on the block, but it may already be the answer to the supplications of pizza lovers across the Duke City for a transformative pie, one that’s not merely very good, but truly outstanding. As Ryan pointed out, however, pizza may not even be the best item on the menu. Repeat visits are a must!

On a 2010 episode of The Travel Channel’s No Reservations series, host Anthony Bourdain described pulque as “the sap of the maguey cactus” as well as “man juice” and “Mexican Viagra.” That may explain why so many aspiring middle-aged brewers across the fruited plain rushed to their local nurseries in search of the maguey plant. Although maguey may be plentiful even in the Land of Enchantment, extracting pulque is a laborious process involving four distinct steps, the first of which is called castration. The name of this step may also explain why so many middle-aged men quickly lost their enthusiasm for cultivating maguey.

In parts of Mexico where the maguey is harvested, native Zapotec, Mixtec and Mixe producers actually ask the plant for permission to harvest it. With the utmost respect, they tell the maguey that its use will primarily be for celebratory rituals and not solely for the sake of profit. Soon after the dawning of 2017, Rio Rancho saw the launch of El Maguey, a Mexican restaurant named for the plant held in such high esteem throughout Mexico. At El Maguey, horchata may be the closest thing to the alcoholic beverage made from the sap of the maguey plant and only in appearance do they share any similarity whatsoever.

El Maguey Dining Room

If you haven’t seen El Maguey during your travels through the City of Vision, it’s probably because its storefront doesn’t face heavily trafficked Rio Rancho Boulevard. Instead, it’s set back on the northeast corner of the timeworn Lujan Plaza shopping center which also houses Namaste and Stack House Barbecue. The same obfuscated corner where El Maguey is situated was once home to such short-lived eateries as Ahh Sushi, Relish (although the original in Albuquerque remains a city favorite), Pastrami & Things and other restaurants. It’s a tough location in which to succeed.

We knew we’d like El Maguey when we walked in and espied a Cantinflas movie playing on what has to be a nineteen inch flat screen (or PC monitor). Arguably Mexico’s greatest and most beloved comedy film star of all time, Cantinflas was once called “the greatest comedian alive” by no less than Charlie Chaplin. Perhaps because the television is so small, it isn’t the cynosure of the dining room which has undergone an amazing make-over since its previous occupant vacated. To say the room is colorful is an understatement. It is awash in bright colors. A swinging gate door separates the dining room from the kitchen.

Salsa, Chips and Horchata

No sooner are you seated than chips and salsaare delivered to your table. The salsa is a luminous green, a telltale sign tomatillo is its chief ingredient and not tomato. The salsa is terrific with a nice balance of heat and tanginess from a squeeze or two of lime. Cilantro lends its unique freshness. The chips are crisp and just a bit on the salty side. El Maguey offers several options for washing down the chips and salsa. Alas, the only aguas fresca on the menu are Jamaica and horchata, the refreshing and sweet, cinnamony beverage. As with most horchata served in Albuquerque restaurants, it does taste a bit like the cold milk at the tail end of a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal.

El Maguey’s menu is relatively small with a rotation of daily specials such as Taco Tuesday. Tacos—chicken, steak, barbacoa, rose meat, chicharron and al pastor (as well as shrimp on occasion)–are a specialty of the house. Rose meat, by the way, has nothing to do with the flower. It’s named in honor of the ruddy chef who prepares it. Also on the menu are gorditas, burritos, quesadillas and tortas. Essentially any item on the menu can be crafted from the aforementioned proteins. Pozole and menudo are available on Saturdays and Sundays. Breakfast burritos are served daily from 7AM to 11AM.

El Pastor Taco, Steak Taco and Chicken Quesadilla

Nestled within a folded corn tortilla (about four inches around) along with onions and cilantro, the tacos are reminiscent of those sold by street vendors throughout Mexico. They’re bulging at their sides thanks to being stuffed generously. We enjoyed the al pastor tacomost. Al pastor, which translates to “in the style of the shepherd” is indeed a ubiquitous street food option in Mexico where thin cuts of marinated pork are whittled away from a cone of sizzling pork gyrating on a spit (similar to a gyro). At El Maguey, the al pastor is in cubed form reminiscent of tandoori meats in its splendorous patina.

A flour tortilla with its characteristic pinto pony char is home to quesadillaswhich can be loaded up with your choice of protein and rich, melting cheese. Chicken is a good choice. It goes especially well with the tomatillo salsa. The canvas for the tortasis a split bolillo (white roll) engorged with your protein choice. The barbacoa, which is most assuredly not the Spanish word for barbecue, is a terrific option with its unique taste and texture. This barbacoa is the real thing, as authentic as you’ll find in Mexico. The chicharrones on our gorditaare more akin to chicharrones you’ll find in Northern New Mexico than many found in Mexico. They’re crispy, crunchy crackling bits of pork.

Barbacoa Torta, Chicharron Gordita, Steak Taco

In its annual Food & Wine issue for 2017, Albuquerque The Magazine awarded El Maguey a Hot Plate Award signifying the selection of its Chicharron Nachos as one of the “dishes…that’s lighting a fire under the city’s culinary scene.” Considering the thousands of potential selections, to be singled out is quite an honor.

When my friend Bruce “Sr Plata” Silver discovered El Maguey, he urged me to beat a quick path to this delightful little taste of Mexico in Rio Rancho. Diners venturing outside the well-beaten and eaten path are discovering it, too. For value dining of surprising quality, there may be none better in Rio Rancho.

Who among us hasn’t learned at least one thing about Thai culinary heritage from The Big Bang Theory? In a 2011 episode, for example, we learned that according to Thai tradition the last morsel of food, the greng jie, goes to the most important person in the room. At least that’s what Sheldon tells Penny when she reaches for the last remaining dumpling. Thanking everyone for the honor, she devours the dumpling. Sheldon’s retort: “I’ve seen pictures of your mother. Keep eating.” Some of us learned that Thai food is meant to be eaten with forks not chop sticks though in Thailand, they don’t put the fork in their mouth. It’s simply a tool to put the food on a spoon which then goes into the mouth.

We also learned that Sheldon, the quirky wunderkind with an obsessive compulsive tendencies orders mee krob and chicken satay with extra peanut sauce on Mondays. Every Monday! As an adventurous diner with polygamous culinary tendencies, the concept of ordering the same meal repeatedly is galling. When expressing my intolerance towards monogamous (monotonous?) diners to my Kim, she quickly knocked me off my high-horse, reminding me that whenever we dine at a Thai restaurant I always order a curry dish. Whether it be Penang curry, Masuman curry, yellow curry pumpkin curry, curry with catfish or Kristen Currie (if she was on the menu), it’s invariably a curry dish our server ferries to our table. She suggested my next curry meal should come with crow.

The Thai Heritage Dining Room

In truth, curry is a dish to which I graduated after having explored the myriad of other Thai food options. While Thai restaurant menus are replete with zesty, spicy, flavorful dishes, curry dishes are the pinnacle of deliciousness. Curry is Thai food self-actualized, Thai food as good as it possibly can be–complex, bold, pungent and aromatic. Curry satisfies my need for balance and order with sweet, savory and piquant notes in perfect proportion. It’s layered with comforting richness and soul-warming flavor. So why deprive myself?

My Kim also chided me for calling some aspects of Thai cuisine across the fruited plain “Americanized,” recalling that she’s never heard me complain about the portion size of my curry being too small. Americans–me included–tend to like prodigious portion sizes which, in the land of the brave, are easily twice or thrice the portion size served in Thailand. She urged me to remember a wise Thai aphorism: “eat Thai food like the Thai do…sparingly.” Grrr, I hate that she’s always right, but she is my conscience and my buffer.

Chef Onuma Thongthip and our lovely server

When my friend and fellow culinary explorer Mary Kroner told me about a new Thai restaurant on Montgomery, my immediate thoughts were about what curry dish to try. Mary had raved about the green curry, one of my very favorite dishes. It took only a brief perusal of the menu to recognize that Thai Heritage may be the Albuquerque restaurant in which my every order might not be curry-centric. In the appetizer section alone, there are a number of dishes heretofore not seen on Duke City Thai restaurant menus. Their genesis is the Issan Province in northeast Thailand. Issan dishes are characterized by incendiary chilies, pungent fish sauces, lip-pursing sour bites and flavorful sauces.

Issan dishes are strewn throughout the menu including two salad dishes Thai food aficionados will recognize: larb (chopped chicken, mint, basil and red onions dressed with lime juice and ground red chilies) and papaya salad (shredded papaya mixed with garlic, lime juice, chilies, tomatoes and ground peanuts). It’s certainly a menu that deserves serious exploration. Your explorations will reveal several dishes—such as orange chicken and pineapple fried rice–more closely associated with Chinese restaurants than with Thai eateries. You’ll find that noodle dishes outnumber rice dishes by a wide margin. You’ll delight in seeing eight desserts on the menu, more than at just about any other Thai restaurant in town. Alas, there are only four curry dishes including a tempting pumpkin curry. Nonetheless, this is a menu in which even those of us who’ve tried everything (or think we have) will find something new.

Grand Tempura

Owner-chef Onuma Thongthip prepares every meal to order which means you’ll experience fresh Thai flavors at their alluringly aromatic best. As the name implies, Thai Heritage celebrates authentic Thai recipes handed down over generations. The gracious chef, a smiling, peripatetic presence strives to give her guests the experience of the fundamental Thai tastes in every meal you order, the harmonious combination of sour, sweet, salty and spicy. If you’ve ever lamented the over-emphasis of near cloying Thai food in the city’s Thai restaurants, the promise of balanced flavors should excite you. It’s a promise Chef Thongthip has fulfilled very well at her other restaurant, Thai Vegan.

Though tempura—battering and deep-frying vegetables or seafood—is most closely associated with Japanese cuisine, the technique for battering and frying foods was introduced to the Land of the Rising Sun by Portuguese explorers. Appreciating the lighter, less greasy frying style, the Japanese adopted and perfected tempura. With increased frequency, you’ll find other Asian restaurants serving tempura dishes though it’s not as common to find tempura in Thai restaurants.

Fried Papaya Salad

Intrigued at the prospect, we ordered not just any tempura dish, but Grand Tempura, lightly battered and deep-fried broccoli, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots and shrimp served with tempura sauce. A generous plateful of golden-hued, deep-fried planks arrived at our table. You know the batter is light when it’s almost translucent and you can see the native colors of the vegetables sheathed in that batter—the orange of the pumpkin and the light green of the broccoli, for example. The accompanying “tempura sauce” is very much on the sweet side and would be greatly improved with a bit of acid and salt.

Since first experiencing the transcendent papaya salad at An Hy Quan, Albuquerque’s premier Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant, we’ve craved the deeply satisfying balance of flavors in that dish. We often wondered if those flavors translated well to the frying process. Leave it to Thai Heritage to answer that deeply existential question for us. Yes, the menu does include a Fried Papaya Salad. Fried very lightly, a passel of shredded papaya is indeed infused with the flavors we love in its fresh counterpart—piquancy from Thai chilies, pungency from fish sauce, sweetness from sugar, savory notes from garlic and sour notes from lime juice. Sprinkled with finely crushed peanuts and garnished with sliced tomatoes and green beans, it’s a very enjoyable starter.

Spicy Noodles

In small part because my Kim got tired of me referring to Pad Thai, her favorite Thai dish, as “Pad Boring,” she tends to order more adventurously…and perhaps because she got tired of me proclaiming my love for it, she never orders curry. Ordering more adventurously doesn’t mean departing too far from noodles though it may mean ordering something that bites back. Spicy Noodlesare a safe—and surprising (considering her heat level preference for green chile borders on “wimpy”) choice. This dish (stir-fried flat noodle with basil, bell peppers, onion, carrots and pork) is actually quite good though the incorrigible mad scientist in me wonders what it would be like smothered in curry.

This is usually the portion of my review in which I wax poetic about the latest curry dish to enrapt me…and by now you’re probably thinking “enough with the curry.” After a long and careful deliberation aided by my Kim’s encouragement, I ordered a non-curry dish (and it didn’t kill me to do so). Thai food fanatics are well acquainted with Tom Kha Kai and Tom Yum Koong, perhaps the most popular of all Thai soups across the fruited plain. Thai Heritage offers a number of alternatives, including a few we hadn’t seen before. My choice was the Tom-Yam Namkhon Noodle Soup(noodles with minced pork, pork ball, crispy wanton, sliced fish cake, boiled egg, pork snack, milk, chili sauce, Thai paste, bean sprouts and mushrooms in pork broth). If it sounds like an “everything but the kitchen sink” soup, you’re not far off the mark. The milky yellowish broth, somewhat reminiscent of Tonkatsu ramen broth, is brimming with deliciousness on and below the surface.

Tom-Yam Namkhon Noodle Soup

With eight dessert options available, you’d think picking one would be a challenge. Not so! Whenever mangoes with sweet sticky riceare on the menu, it’s soon at our table. We’re at the very tail end of mango season so mangoes aren’t at their peak of sweetness, but even a “semi-sweet” mango is delicious. Besides, the sweet sticky rice goes so well with mangoes that are just a bit on the green, tart side. Mangoes and sticky rice are one of the things we miss most about summer.

Picking two desserts wasn’t much more of a challenge than picking just one. That’s because the dessert menu includes roti. Described on the menu as a Thai-style pancake, it’s more akin to a circular flatbread. Roti is enjoyed everywhere from India to Malaysia. The roti at Thai Heritage is wholly unlike any roti we’ve ever had. Instead of resembling (to some extent) Indian naan, it resembled—both texturally and in terms of flavor—a very think puff pastry drizzled with chocolate. While enjoyable, it’s certainly not what we expected.

Roti

It really is hard to “eat Thai food like the Thai do…sparingly.” When restaurants such as Thai Heritage prepare it so well, you’ll want to eat sizable portions. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay this October addition to the Duke City dining scene is that it got me to order something other than curry…and I loved it.